There are two Little Jack Littles in the annals of show business:. One is a dwarf comedian who worked in burlesque (unfortunately not the subject of today’s post). At all events, today is the birthday of the singer, songwriter and bandleader Jack Little (John Leonard, 1899-1956). British born, he was raised in Iowa, where he first started playing with bands while in college. By the early 30s he had made his way to the Palace, nightclubs, radio and recording contracts. Some of his songs include “A Shanty in Old Shanty Town”, “Jealous” and “I’ve Always Called You Sweetheart”.
Listen to him croon right now (along with the Do-Re-Mi Girls)
To find out about the history of vaudeville, consult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and wherever nutty books are sold.
For more on silent and slapstick comedy please check out my new book: Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube, just released by Bear Manor Media, also available from amazon.com etc etc etc
(Travalanche) 